Foi o Bernard L. quem me iniciou no Miyamoto Musashi. Na altura, depois de ter lido e relido a tese do André Glucksman, sob a direcção de Raymond Aron, sobre Mao e o “Da Guerra Prolongada”, eu andava à procura dos clássicos orientais sobre a matéria.
Uma noite, num jantar em casa da Christine H., encontrei um amigo dela que preparava uma tese de doutoramento sobre a ficção de Arsene Lupin no quadro do seu tempo. Quem inventa tal tema só pode ser um tipo interessante, inteligente e divertido, pensei. Fomos falando ao longo do jantar e acabámos a tomar o café num canto da cozinha, fora do bulício das conversas do restante pessoal.
“Tens de conhecer o Musashi”, disse-me ele quando lhe falei da minha busca pelos clássicos orientais. “Há também uns indianos interessantes mas o Musashi e o seu tratado são imprescindíveis, tanto o “tratado” como ele mesmo”. Os indianos, disse-lhe, eu já conhecia mas o Musashi nem tinha ouvido falar a ninguém. “É natural, neste tempo ninguém o conhece mas, vais ver, que ainda o vão conhecer”.
No canto da cozinha, com a chávena do café na mão, o Bernard falou-me do Musashi (não do “tratado”) durante mais de duas horas. No dia seguinte, entrei na livraria do Bd. Saint-Germain, onde o Bernard me tinha dito que seria possível encontrá-lo, e um exemplar do “tratado” veio de lá comigo. Até hoje.
‘When you attain the Way of strategy, there will not be one thing you cannot see.’
– Miyamoto Musashi, Book of Five Rings
“Shortly before his death in 1645, the undefeated swordsman Miyamoto Musashi retreated to a cave to live as a hermit. There he wrote five scrolls describing the “true principles” required for victory in the martial arts and on the battlefield. Instead of relying on religion or theory, Musashi based his writings on his own experience, observation, and reason.
The scrolls, published as The Book of Five Rings, have recently gained an international reputation in the business world as a means of resolving differences and achieving success. But their delineation of the psychological strength, rigorous self-control, and practical application necessary for dealing with physical and mental conflict also has a wider relevance and can be usefully applied to all our lives.
Miyamoto Musashi was born around 1584 into a samurai family in Harima province. His mother died soon after his birth, so he was raised by his step-mother and then his uncle, a monk from the Shoreian temple. While staying with his uncle, he was taught Zen Buddhisma and basic reading and writing. He had his first duel at the age of thirteen and went on to have 59 more, claiming never to have lost a single one. He completed his influential book on swordsmanship in May 1645, the year he died.”
Exclusivo Tornado / IntelNomics
